SAN BRUNO — A week after lawmakers bashed the Public Utilities Commission for a perceived chummy rapport with the utilities it polices, the regulatory agency drew sharp criticism for a planned safety conference featuring PG&E and commission leaders.

In response to the criticism, the PUC on Wednesday evening said it would postpone the event to an undisclosed date in order to “eliminate any possible public concern.”

The two-day, free and public symposium was expected to have Pacific Gas & Electric President Chris Johns on a panel discussion slated to include Commissioner Mike Florio and PUC Executive Director Paul Clanon. They were scheduled to discuss what the commission and utilities need from each other to “improve public safety in California,” according to Forging a New Vision of Safety in California conference agenda posted on the PUC’s website.

It’s unclear how much the event will cost, nor who will foot the bill, but a PG&E spokeswoman said the utility was “going to help fund the symposium.”

For utility and PUC critics, the conference captured what they say is a dysfunctional relationship that hasn’t changed much since a deadly pipeline blast in San Bruno in 2010.

The planning of the conference comes as evidence is still being submitted for the commissioners to rule on how much PG&E should pay in fines for the explosion, which killed eight and destroyed 38 homes.

“This looks like a public relations stunt,” San Bruno City Manager Connie Jackson said before the postponement was announced. “We believe it’s intended to muster public opinion that both PG&E and PUC are focused on safety.”

National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Deborah Hersman, who was highly critical of PG&E and the PUC after the blast, was slated to deliver the symposium’s keynote speech via video. Jackson said Hersman’s work is beyond reproach and inviting her to speak was an effort to lend legitimacy to the conference, which also is expected to feature a dinner event with hero pilot Chesley Sullenberger.

San Bruno filed a motion with the PUC earlier Wednesday demanding that Florio and Commission President Michael Peevey, who was scheduled to speak at the San Francisco conference originally scheduled for May 7-8, be removed from the panel of speakers. The motion argued the San Bruno explosion would naturally come up, yet discussion of the case violates PUC rules.

“Under the CPUC’s very own rule, President Peevey and Commissioner Florio are prohibited from discussing any subject matter related to the PG&E explosion when it does not occur in a public hearing,” San Bruno’s attorney Steven Myers wrote in the motion.

“Although the symposium is a forward-looking event and issues related to the CPUC’s ongoing PG&E pipeline cases would not be discussed, to eliminate any possible public concern over the fairness of the CPUC’s process, the CPUC has decided to postpone the symposium to a future day,” according to a statement released about 6:10 p.m. Wednesday.

PG&E spokeswoman Brittany Chord said the PUC invited the utility company’s leaders to the event. She went on to say the company is interested in “the opportunity to share our perspective on gas safety and learn from others in the industry.”

“PG&E will continue to follow the PUC’s guidelines and processes in the investigation proceedings,” Chord said.

San Bruno’s motion was filed about a week after some lawmakers called for Clanon’s ouster during hearings stemming from a scathing report on the agency’s safety culture. According to the report from Business Advantage Consulting, PUC workers still believe accidents are unavoidable and safety goals should be “balanced against the competing goals of affordability and reliability.”

“I have to move hearts and minds. It’s a human business,” Clanon told lawmakers at the April 17 hearing in Sacramento. “It’s a messy business.”